Photo: Star-Ledger

Photo: Star-Ledger

I have a confession to make: I did not watch Game One live. I had a friend’s birthday, and he managed to pick the only bar in Manhattan without a TV. So I spent my Sunday watching the game, and wow was it a fun one to watch. Those thinking that Game Two will be similar have another thing coming though, that will kick off my bullet points:

  • Seriously, those that think the Rangers are going to steamroll the Canadiens like this and sweep them are in for a rude awakening. The Habs were just unprepared for the speed the Rangers possess, but that won’t happen again.
  • About that speed and the relative unpreparedness of the Habs: That really surprised me. Michel Therrien is no slouch behind the bench, and I was honestly shocked that his team looked lost defensively against the Rangers. Almost every single Ranger was able to completely blow by the Habs defensemen, who are not exactly slow. I don’t think this was a case of Alain Vigneault winning a coaching battle, I just think it was a case of either Therrien or the Habs players not recognizing a very potent weapon.
  • One last point about New York’s speed: This isn’t really a new thing. Almost every single player that poses a threat with the puck was with the club under John Tortorella’s reign. The difference is in the deployment, and how AV uses that speed to wreak havoc in the neutral zone. Speed on that fourth line (one thing Torts didn’t have) was critical too.

  • The Derick Brassard injury, if serious, could be a blow for the Rangers. Dominic Moore filled in nicely with Mats Zuccarello and Benoit Pouliot, and he certainly adds a much needed defensive presence to that line. But we’ve been praising the depth of the Rangers all season, and we saw how one injury (Chris Kreider) really shook them up. All of a sudden, we are in a position of dressing one of Dan Carcillo, Jesper Fast, or J.T. Miller again.
  • Of those three prospects, I’d venture a guess that Carcillo gets the nod first if Brassard can’t go. Carcillo is always going to be a wildcard, but he’s been stellar these playoffs. It’ll be a gamble, but as long as he keeps his cool, he will be fine on the fourth line. Miller really shouldn’t be on the fourth line, so Fast would be option number two there.
  • Final point on the Brassard injury: It will be a significant blow to the club if 1) Moore can’t play consistently on that third line, and 2) if none of the available replacements fit in well against the Canadiens. My initial reaction is that this could be a big issue if he’s out long term.
  • Speaking of injuries: If Carey Price can’t go, the Habs won’t last long. All due respect to Peter Budaj, Price pretty much won the series against Boston for them, and is miles ahead of Budaj in terms of overall talent. When you watch the replays, his knee buckles pretty badly, and he didn’t practice yesterday.
  • Due to that Price injury, Habs fans are calling Kreider on his “reputation of running goalies.” Goalie interference penalties on Kreider this year: Zero.

Tonight’s game won’t be like Game One. The Habs will make adjustments to better manage the speed of the Rangers. AV knows this, and probably has a trick up his sleeve headed into Game Two. One thing’s for sure: If the Rangers take Game Two, this could be a very short series.

Share: 

More About: